


love at first sight

by orphan_account



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blind Date, First Dates, Getting Together, M/M, ft contrapoints as dan's weird roommate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 13:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21637258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: the classic blind date trope, featuring a mysterious chihuahua, a crayola keyboard, and an art museum :)
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 9
Kudos: 23
Collections: Phandom Fic Fests Holiday Exchange 2019





	love at first sight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fulltimeiidasimp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fulltimeiidasimp/gifts).

> for [phandomficfest's](https://phandomficfests.tumblr.com) 2019 winter fic exchange! this is for perfectpierce i hope they enjoy this!!

“dan!” natalie yells, walking into the living room while holding a chihuahua. dan takes his headphones off and hits ‘save’ on his work before closing his laptop. the chihuahua barks as it runs off into the hallway, and dan doesn’t have the time or the energy to question what the hell it’s doing there or where natalie got it. now that natalie’s in here, she’s going to distract him as much as possible for the next hour. what a wonderful idea to invite her to be his roommate. 

then again, he really needs the rent money. rent is horribly expensive for a single and lonely sad sack author in modern society, which is quite homophobic if you ask him.

_ goodbye precious hour,  _ he thinks. he’s fine though, it’s only 9 in the morning. the manuscript isn’t even due yet. not until next thursday, at least. he still needs to write four chapters but everything is fine.

“what do you want, natalie?” dan sighs, leaning back into his chair and sipping coffee. he grimaces at the taste. he made it too sweet.

“don’t talk to your sugar baby like this.” she pouts.

dan laughs. “fuck off.”

natalie smirks. “anyways, i got you a date with this gay disaster that works on video production at my work or some shit like that. i think he went to go see the muse concert a few months ago, and figured y’all might be into the same shit.”

dan almost drops his coffee mug hearing her say those things. “natalie! you know how i feel about dating.”

she scoffs. “well, yeah, but i can’t watch you become a sad lonely spinster while i get dick appointments like every week. it’s easier for you if i find you a date instead of you waiting for the date to come to you.”

dan scrunches his face at that, disgusted at the thought of his best friend’s sexual exploits. “fine, i’ll go on your blind date thing. if i die, it’s your fault.”

natalie flips him off. “you love me, sugar daddy daniel. can we get lunch? i’m hungry.”

“nat, it’s 9 in the morning! i have to write things!” he groans.

she rolls her eyes. “you love sushi. sushi is more important than work. now, let’s go before i have to teach stupid interns how to do things around the office.”

dan closes his laptop and gets up. she’s right. sushi  _ is  _ more important than work and writing this dumb chapter.

-

the date is set a few days later when both of them have the afternoon off for lunch. it’s slightly gloomy outside, but when dan steps outside the clouds clear up. natalie tells him that she arranged for the date to be at a restaurant ten minutes away and that he shoud look for someone named phil lester, who has a brown quiff and dresses the same way dan did in 2015.

dan spots him almost immediately, doodling on the paper menu as if he were a child. he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t adorable.

he’s apprehensive about approaching his table though. he doesn’t know why. 

_ it’ll be fine, it’s just a blind date. if it doesn’t go well, then it doesn’t go well. _

“hi,” dan says as he stands in front of phil’s table. “so, my name is dan. phil lester?”

dan does a finger salute thing.  _ great job, dan, you’re doing amazing. _

phil laughs. “that’s me! you’re natalie’s roommate, right? i’ve heard quite a few things about you!”

dan does another finger salute before internally cringing. “yep, that’s me. the one and only. uh, how are you doing?”

“i’m doing well, thank you! let’s order? kinda hungry.” phil says with a grin.

dan just nods and opens the menu, cracking a smile.

the date goes extremely well. they talk about their interests and their jobs for a long time, long after they’ve both finished their food until the waiter gives them glares for being there longer than they should’ve been. they’ve just gotten along so well, and dan is starting to wish that natalie had set them up earlier.

phil holds dan’s hand as they walk down the street and into the park to continue their conversation.

“there’s no way you got attacked by a squirrel,” dan says, doubling over in laughter.

“look! i have the scratch marks to prove it!” phil squeaks, pulling the sleeves of his sweater up and shoving his arm in dan’s face.

dan just looks at him, stunned. “wow, i mean, i’m quite uncoordinated and all that, but getting attacked by a squirrel seems kinda low.”

“again, it’s not my fault!” phil whines.

they’re walking out of the park now, and a few moments later they’re stood in front of phil’s house now, and dan turns to face phil.

“i had a great time tonight, yeah? you think we’ll see each other again?” dan asks.

phil nods. “definitely. give me your number so we could plan another date?”

dan smiles brightly and hastily scribbles his number on a scrap of paper from his pocket before giving phil a chaste kiss and walking away.

-

natalie walks into the flat two hours after dan’s gotten home from the date. the chihuahua, whose name is charlie, barks loudly when he hears natalie walking in. dan has a feeling that the chihuahua isn’t leaving anytime soon, despite natalie’s promises to bring it to the shelter.

“oh my god, you’re still using that  [ disgusting keyboard ](https://www.amazon.com/Crayola%C2%AE-3-Piece-Computer-Keyboard-11103/dp/B001DCDXU8) ? i thought you would’ve gotten rid of it when you got your macbook?” she asks, groaning at the sight of the hideous crayola keyboard dan found at a thrift shop three years ago.

dan stammers, not sure what to say about it. he’s pretty sure natalie’s heard everything dan could ever say about this  _ magnificent  _ keyboard. instead, he starts rambling.

“look! i like this keyboard! it helps me write things faster, so i might as well use it even if it’s connected to this chunky ass monitor i don’t even need anymore! leave me alone! what do you want, i thought you had a yoga class thing right now?” 

she waves him off, and pushes him a little bit to sit on the office chair with him. “no, i didn’t wanna go today. yoga is boring anyway, your date matters more. scoot over, how did it go?”

dan doesn’t look up at her and continues typing away. “it went well. i’m seeing him again sometime next week. we said that we would text each other later.”

“oh hell yeah, i knew you nerds would be perfect for each other. he’s a real sweetie.”

they’re both quiet for a minute while dan types away at his computer. “by the way, you need a comma right there.”

dan reads over the sentence and glares at natalie when he realises she’s right. 

natalie gets off of his chair and heads up the stairs. 

“if you need me i’ll be in the tub!” she calls out.

just at that moment, a text from phil pops up on his phone.

_ did you know there are over 5,000 species of frog? hi, it’s phil ^_^,  _ the message reads. dan smiles wildly while reading it.

dan steps away from his professional computer desk and into the living room, where he curls up into the couch and texts phil back. they end up texting each other until dan realises it’s 8 o’clock and he still hasn’t eaten dinner yet.

_ goodnight phil! hope we can talk to each other again tomorrow! _

_ yeah you too! sweet dreams! _

-

they see each other again a few days later, not too long before their second date. they’ve been texting each other back and forth since their date. usually, they text each other funny memes and anecdotes. phil’s anecdote of the day was about why he can’t go to the gym anymore after a horrific experience. dan has never been gladder that he hasn’t stepped foot anywhere near a gym since he graduated high school.

dan’s picking natalie up from work and is standing right outside her office when phil walks by, holding a mug of coffee.

he calls out his name, and phil yelps in surprise. he covers the mug with his hand, turning around in every direction before noticing where dan is standing.

“oh, hi, dan! what are you doing here?” phil asks, approaching him. dan isn’t sure whether or not it’s acceptable to go in for a hug, so he opts for  _ finger guns,  _ internally screaming at himself.

dan points to the office door. “picking up nat so that we can go home before the traffic hits. it’s absolutely disgusting on the road at this hour.”

phil pouts. “lucky you for being able to go home in the first place. i still have to edit things for another twenty minutes, unfortunately. the traffic will be much heavier then. text me later when you get home?”

dan laughs. “yeah, of course. can’t wait.” 

phil sets his coffee mug down temporarily and pulls dan by the collar as they kiss quickly.

“stay safe on the road!” phil says as he’s walking away back to wherever his office is.

“you too!” dan calls out.

by sheer coincidence, natalie opens her door at that exact moment, smirking at dan as he turns around to face her.

“i can tell by that stupidly dreamy look on your face that you just saw him.” she pokes dan’s dimples teasingly and dan glares at her.

“oi,” he mumbles, swatting her hand away. “don’t pretend you didn’t overhear us through your door.”

she just ignores him and starts talking again. “sugar daddy daniel is growing up! he’s in love!” she drags out the ‘o’ in love. people passing by in the hallways are looking at them weirdly now.

dan can’t even bother to remind her that she’s being loud and that the statement is absurd (because he literally just met phil a few days ago), so he just laughs.

-

when their next date rolls around, dan picks phil up from his apartment and they’re in an uber headed to a museum that’s meant for looking at weird and unusual art. phil came up with the idea at 2:30 in the morning while they were both up, as dan was furiously finishing his book and phil kept him company.

“did you ever finish that manuscript before the deadline?” phil asks partway through the ride.

“surprisingly, yes. i sacrificed a lot of sleep just so i could get it done right before the 9 am deadline. don’t ask me how i’m still alive, i don’t know how,” dan jokes. 

phil laughs. “i mean, you’re here with me now, yeah? now you get to treat yourself to some bizarre and disturbing art!”

dan just looks at him fondly and shakes his head. “what a perfect way to spend our second date.”

they get to the museum soon enough and dan takes phil by the hand as he leads him through the exhibit

phil leans his head on dan’s shoulder while they’re stood in front of a painting.

“what do you think is the story behind this one?” dan asks him, laughing.

phil also laughs as he studies the painting a little bit more closely. “i think this one is about a monkey who got loose.”

“i think it’s about a robot infiltrating the zoo,” dan says. “you have a strange mind, phil. i’m sure i’ll get to see more of it on our future dates.”

“oh, yes, definitely. our future dates consist of lobotomies and brain examinations,” phil says in a “sexy” voice. he then wiggles his eyebrows.

dan makes a disgusted face. “phil! don’t say it like that! ugh, that feels like bugs crawling on my skin, stop it!”

they’re both laughing at each other as they continue to poke fun at the art. a curator tells them that they’re both being too loud and that they’ll have to go, and dan almost starts a fight there. overall, a 10/10 experience. dan would definitely love to go on more dates with phil in the future. 

with the way that they’re kissing each other on the uber ride home, dan safely assumes that phil’s thinking the same thing.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!!!


End file.
